Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 12:03     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.


Everyone gets a trophy and a medal
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:59     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.


This ... it's all so silly sometimes
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:53     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.


Top ECNL players on top teams in regions without MLS academies are different
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:48     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Who are these MLSNext v ECNL people? Does it matter? If your player is talented and putting in the work and supported by coach and club, does it matter where they play?

Even “bad” MLSNext and ECNL clubs have talented kids. Being on the bench of a top MLSNext team doesn’t make you a better player than a top player on a “bad” MLSNext team or ECNL team. And even if a top MLSNext team has more star players than a “bad” team, doesn’t make the star players on good teams better than the ones on bad teams. Families pick club for certain reasons and likely most top players on MLSNext and ECNL teams can pretty much go wherever they want.

A coach told me that the truly talented with potential don’t seek opportunities, opportunities come to them.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:48     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?


The best ECNL players go to the academy too.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:45     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?


I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.


52 States
Hundreds of metro areas

About 26 MLS academies
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:43     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?


I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.


More like tier 3
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:37     Subject: MLSNext watered down
My guess is that MLS academies remain top tier but clubs aligned with USL teams will form the next tier in cities where this is available. (Richmond, Raleigh, Indy etc.) Everything else will be determined on a club by club basis. There are bad MLSNext clubs and bad ECNL clubs.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:19     Subject: MLSNext watered down
By no stretch imagination are there enough MLS next pro academies in the states to observe top talent. Judging from what we have seen in our area, the MLS next teams like Coppermine and Bethesda are head and shoulders above their local ECNL counterparts. I hope that’s not true long term and Potomac and other teams can get it together because competition is good for everyone.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:16     Subject: MLSNext watered down
The pool is still the same. Best talent still goes to the academies. The rest are spread throughout the other leagues (businesses) which are competing for the same players (customers). The more competitors the better. Let the market decide. They will need to differentiate their products somehow or provide a better experience to gain players.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:16     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Ding Ding Ding. It's not. ECNL and ECNL RL will be better now that MLSNext is the new shiny toy everyone wants


Wow, people really believe this? More power to you guys!
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:16     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?


I don’t think one or two academies per metro area or region can absorb all top talent in their areas. Some top talent with EU or other passports are probably avoiding MLS academies as well and hoping to jump abroad.

Also random comparison with ECNL. ECNL would be tier 2 behind MLSNext 1.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:15     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Anonymous wrote:Ding Ding Ding. It's not. ECNL and ECNL RL will be better now that MLSNext is the new shiny toy everyone wants


Especially if MLSN stays birth year and further alienates the pipeline.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:12     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Ding Ding Ding. It's not. ECNL and ECNL RL will be better now that MLSNext is the new shiny toy everyone wants
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2025 11:09     Subject: MLSNext watered down
Seems like the MLSNext talent pool gets watered down as the top talent goes to the academies. So tier 1 and tier 2 are really tier 2 and tier 3. How is this supposed to be better quality than ECNL?